The Turf.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume II, Issue 85, 10 March 1892, Page 6

The Turf.

[BY

OLD TURFITE.]

The Hawke’s Bay Cup is the next race to claim attention. Mr. Evitt must feel satisfied with his work, as twenty-one out of forty entries have declared content, and it is now by no means an easy race to pick the. winner. Cynisca. 9st, heads the list. At this .weight she is far from out of it, notwithstanding her defeat at Wanganui, as she does not appear to like that course, besides she is meeting Crown Jewel on 91bs better terms. Crackshot, Bst 101 b, though he has improved and ran fairly at Dunedin, I do not think is up to the mark. Whisper will most likely give way to her stable companion. Morion, Bst, has incurred a 51b penalty. That he is a good colt there is no doubt, but I think he will fail to carry this weight to the front. Fraternity, Bst, ran badly in the Wanganui Cup, for which he was greatly fancied. Kotuku, 7st 111 b, does not read badly in, but has never got the distance, still at this time of the year mares improve. Dolosa, 7st 101 b, is too uncertain to be trusted, though if she takes it into her head to go she will about win. Kulnine, 7st 71b, is well in,, but he disappointed his party twice at Dunedin, when he was heavily backed. Lochness, 7st 61b., I do not fancy, but Retina, 7st 51b, ran third at Egmont with 31b more, reads as well as anything. Thame and Krina, 7st 41b, may both be passed on. Krina, 7st 41b, after the running at Wanganui, does not read to have much chance. Pani, 7st 31b, is fancied by some, but his best performances have been m very moderate company. The Dreamer, 7st 21b, will find the distance too far for him. I think I may discaid Huerfana and Pearl Powder. Seraph, 6st 121 b, reads well in on paper, but I think he will find the company too good for him. Crown Jewel has incurred a 101 b penalty, which brings his weight to 7st 61b, which should bring him back to Fraternity and Cynisca, who meet him respectively on 121 b and 91bs better terms. Taking them all through I prefer the chances of Cynisca or Whisper, Retina, and Kulnine, though Dolosa might upset all calculations.

Some of my readers who will remember him will hear with regret of the death, on December 26th, of Mr. Richard Boyce, the dozen of Newmarket trainers, he having attained the great age of 84. Half a century ago Mr. Richard Boyce went to France in charge of Lord Henry Seymour’s stable, who had done so much towards founding the French Derby. The deceased trained Poetess, the winner of the race in 1841, and at Lord Henry’s death he returned to Newmarket.

The Wanganui Cup has resulted in a rather a boil over, as few anticipated that Crown Jewel would get the distance, but being four years with the light weight enabled her to do it; but Queen of Trumps, running into second place, is a great surprise as she never could get the distance and does not look like one that would get to the end of a fast run race —one and threequarter miles. As this was the time, being the fastest on record for the Cup, old Dudu ran well and was not disgraced, but the running of Cynisca and Fraternite was very bad,, while Awarua Rose did not show up according to expectation. The winner has incurred a 101 b penalty for the Hawke’s Bay Cup, which makes the weight 7st 61b.

The Papakura Meeting that at one time promised to be a success after the expense the new Club had gone to, is likely to be spoilt through the mismanagement of the Committee. The weights were to be declared on March 4, but it was not until the Star was issued on Tuesday evening, the Bth, that the weights appeared, the consequence was that many owners did not see them until the following day, while some perhaps not till Thursday or even Friday, which is the day for acceptances. The adjustment of the weights for the different races are anything but satisfactory, but as they did not come to hand until so late, and the acceptances are to be declared tomorrow, I will not go through them this week.

The Onslow Trotting Club held their second meeting at Potter’s Paddock last Saturday. It was a great improvement on the last They still have a great deal to learn, but taking into consideration the difficulties they have to contend with, especially the opposition they met with, the meeting must be considered a success. The attendance was good, but this must in a great measure be attributed to the wheel race, which was a novelty. The management was not up to the mark. There was no clerk of the course —the person who was supposed to act as such was in his usual dress, with a buggy whip. The judges of trotting did not attend to their duties ; the consequence was many of the horses went in the “go-as-you-please” style, there being no one to order them off the course. The starting was inferior even in the trotting races. Time was very badly kept, it being nearly dark when the last race was run. Now comes the worst feature of the whole meeting. The handicapping for all the races, especially the trotting ones, was very bad, though in the pony races the handicappers succeeded in bringing some of them together, but the fields were greatly spread out. On talking to two of them it did not take one long to find out that they did not know much of their business. One of them some time ago abused the handicappers of the other Club giving the limit horses too much start, while the other did not know the rudiments of his work, and none of them have any idea of the first principles of handicapping, i.e., never crush a good horse out of a race because some ignoramuses have entered horses not worth their oats. I have not space to go through all the handicaps, so will only take the principal race, the Onslow Trot Handicap, three miles. The limit horse, The Broker, gets yosecs, the winner, Midnight, 57sec.. who does the distance in Bmin. 47-l-sec., Fibre, 6ssec., second, Commodore, 57sec., third, Rarus, scratch, who after trotting in magnificent style finished fourth. Now, though he is a good" horse with true trotting action- -in fact, the only horse there that had it—he is not a Sauntre'ss* He did the distance in Bmin. ssec., easing up, therefore to have won he would have to have trotted it in ymin. sosec., the record time in America being 7mm. 2i|sec. My readers will now see what the handicapping was like. Just before the Wheel Race the secretary of the Auckland Trotting Club posted O’Sullivan, of Brandy fame, for forfeits owing to his Club for that horse and Sandgate. The owner of the latter, who had purchased him since the disqualification of his former owner, offered to pay what was due on but not on Brandy. This was declined, and the horse was not allowed to start. Now the secretary of the A.T.C. is a good one as far as he goes, but he is very deficient in racing law, and it would be well for him to study it. In this case he was decidedly wrong. He could only demand what was due on Sandgate, he having been bona fide sold and ran in his new owner’s name. Mr. Mark should have known this old-established rule of the Newmarket Jockey Club that forfeits follow the horse that they are due on and also the defaulting nominator, but one horse is not responsible for them all. If Mr. Mark’s ruling was followed there would be no end of trouble. Take the following for instance Mr. Smith is a defaulter for the whole of his stud is sold. Some of the best have no forfeits on them, therefore they find purchasers at a long price. The new owner pays the forfeits on all engagements that he has been entered in in Mr. Smith’s name, as if he ran in any of them he would be liable for all the forfeits of Mr. Smith— he therefore only pays those on the horse he has purchased to clear him. Now if Mr. Mark’s rule was followed Mr. Smith’s stud would be sold at hack prices and his creditors would be defrauded of a large sum. Anyone ought to see this argument.

The races commenced with the Maiden Trot, for which seven started. With the exception of Tyrone, who won from scratch, they were very moderate. Six faced the starter for the Handicap Maiden Pony Race. A splendid finish, resulting in a win for Trenton by the Colonial nose. Fifteen came to the post for the Onslow Trot Handicap. Midnight. 57sec., won by four lengths from Fibre, fissec.; Commotion, 57sec., was about the same distance away third : Rarus, the scratch horse, who trotted in splen-

did style, was a good fourth. Time, Bmin, This is a wonderful improvement in the winner’s form, as he had it all his own way. If the owners had done this on any other course he would have been asked for an explanation of some of Midnight’s previous performances. Only four ran for the Pony Steeplechase. Despised refused and Midas fell, but it was a very pretty race between Pica, i2St, and Little Raven, gst, as they took the fences together until entering the straight, when the weight told, and Little Raven won easily. The Wheel Race was an amusing one, nine starting for it. The get-up and position of some of them reminded one of the American cartoons. The majority of them went in the “go-as-you-please” style—the only two true trotters, Commodore, 2osec., and Balderdash, iosec., finishing first and second. Six came to the post for the Selling Trot,' Rambuster winning easily from Dick and Chili, Maud S. nowhere. This is another case of curious running. At the Otahuhu meeting Maud S. trotted clean away from Rambuster, also in the Selling Trot at the Auckland Trotting Club. This case should have been inquired into. The Onslow Pony Handicap brought another good field, Little Jane winning by half a length from Coquette 11., Red Rose a good third. The Pony Trot was run in the dark. Fibre, 2osec., won easily from Twinkle 25sec., Chips, 3osec., third. This finished the meeting.